Gas-producer



'(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 W. B. HUGHES. I

GAS PRODUCER.

No. 593,893. Patented Nov. 1 1897.

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'4 Sheets Sheet- 3.

(No'ModeL) GAS PRODUCER.

No. 593,893. Patented Novgl6, 1897'.

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4 SheetsSheet 4.

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W. B. HUGH-ES. GAS PRODUCER. No. 593,893.

Patented Nov. 16, 1897..

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UNITED STATES ATENT Fries.

WILLIAM B. HUGHES, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

GAS-PRODUCER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 593,893, dated November 16, 18 97.

Application filed November 27, 1896. Serial No. 613,600. (N0 mod -J To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM B. HUGHES, a citizen of the United States, residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Gas-Producers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of gasproducers in which carbonic oxid is formed by the distillation and combustion of coal in structures having a determinate air-supply, the object of my invention being to lessen or prevent the escape of soot from the producer, to prevent the caking of the coal at and near the upper portion of the hot'zone in such producer, and also to provide for the breaking up of the clinkers in said hot zone by the use of simple mechanical devices, so as to render .unnecessary the employment of manual labor for either of these purposes.

Another object is to prevent the caking of the ashes at the bottom of the ash-hopper and to provide for the convenient removal of said ashes by mechanical means.

These objects I attain in the manner hereinafter set forth, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical sect-ion of a gas-producer constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan View of the same, partly. in section. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view on the line 00 as, Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view illustrating a modified construction of gas-producer in. accordance with my invention.

In modern iron and steel works it is the accepted practice to use as fuel in the various furnaces gas generated in a separate furnace or producer, as it is'usually termed, these producers usually consisting of structures of fire-brick or cylindrical metallic shells lined with fire-brick, into which the coal is fed from.

the top through a bell-hopper. In order to prevent the formation of clinkers and the caking of the coal in such producers, constant agitation or poking of the contents'of the producer from top or sides, or both, is necessary, such agitation being usually efiected by means of manually-operated pokers or slicebars. This labor is extremely exhausting, and owing to the poisonous quality of the gas the laborers are frequently overcome by the Furthermore, the producers must be of limitedcapacity in order to permit the pokers or slice-bars introduced from top or sides to gain access to all parts of the interior of the producer.-- If any attempt is made to force production by increasing the strength of the air-blast, free carbon in the form of soot is carried off by the gas in such quantities as to rapidly choke up the flues and other gas-passages.

One object of my invention has therefore been to so construct the producer as to increase its capacity and make it to be run with a blast of greater force than usual without forming soot in objectionableamount.

One feature of my invention consists in horizontally dividing the producer-body at or about the top of the hot zone and rotating one portion of the body while the other is stationary, so that there is'constant agitation and breaking up of the contents of the producer at the junction of the fixed and rotating portions, thereby effectually preventing the caking of the coal which usually takes place at that point.

Another feature of my invention consists in mounting the mechanically-operated poker upon a poker-support which is stationary if the casing of the hot zone of the producer is revoluble and is revoluble if the casing of the hot zone of the producer is stationary, whereby the poker on each revolution of the casing or poker support is caused to act upon all portions of the mass of fuel contained in the hot zone, so as to effectually break up the clinkers formed therein.

Another feature of theinvention consists in rotating the water-sealed ash-hopper of the producer, so as to prevent the caking or packing of the ashes at the lower end or mouth of said hopper.

In Figs. 1, 2, and 3 of the drawings, 1 represents the upper portion of the producer,which has at the top the usual fuel-feeding device and at one side a discharge-neck for the escape of the-gas. This upper portion of the producer-casing is suitably mounted upon beams 2, properly supported upon vertical posts or columns 3, and secured to the lower portion of said upper section of the producerbody is a ring 4, which projects outwardly beyond the same and has at the outer edge a depending flange 5, which projects downwardly into an annular trough or receptacle 6 around the upper portion of the lower section 7 of the producer-body, said lower section being of considerably greater diameter than the upper section 1, so that pokers 8 may be passed down through the ring 4 in such manner as to work on the outside of the upper section of the producer and on the inside of the lower section of the same, said lower section 7 of the producer havinga surrounding ring carrying a series of wheels or rollers 9, which run upon an annular track 10, suitably supported upon the posts or columns 3, whereby said lower section of the producerbody can be rotated, the trough 6 being filled with water or other liquid, so as to form a liquid seal between the two sections of the casing.

The ash-hopper 11 is suspended from the lower section 7 of the producer-body and the lower portion of said ash-hopper extends down into a sealing-pit 12,which is filled with water, so as to prevent the escape of air or gas from the bottom of the ash-hopper. Air is intro duced into the producer through a right-angled pipe 13, having the usual hood 14 over its mouth, so as to prevent the access of ashes thereto.

The ash-hopper 11 rotates with the lower section 7 of the producer-body and carries a series of wings or blades 15, which serve to scrape the ashes from the sealing-pit 12 into a conveyer-trongh 16 at one side of said pit, said trough having an endless screw conveyer 17, which delivers the ashes into atransverse conveyor 18, whereby they are deposited at any desired point.

The poker S is guided in a tube 20 and the latter is mounted in a cylindrical block 21, which has trunnions adapted to suitable bearings on the ring 4, so that the poker can be both reciprocated vertically throughout the lower section of the producer-body and can be swung radially from and toward the center of the same.

To prevent the burning out of the pokerby heat to which it is subjected, said poker is provided with means for causing circulation of water or other cooling [iuid through the same, the poker consisting of an outer tube or casing closed at both ends and having an internal pipe of considerable less diameter than the outer tube, said pipe extending from the outer end of the tubular poker almost to the inner end of the same, so that water or other cooling fluid supplied to the outer end of the pipe through the tube 22 will pass down through said pipe and thence upward through the annular space between the same and the tubular casing of the poker, from the outer end of which it escapes through aflexible tube 23.

The operation of the poker 8 may be effected in any desired manner, but as it is advisable to dispense to as great an extent as possible with the employment of manual labor in the operation of the producer I provide for the mechanical operation of the poker in the following manner: A shaft 24, driven in any appropriate manner, has a pinion 25, meshing with a spur-wheel 26 on a shaft 27, which has a pinion 28, meshing with a spur-wheel 29 on a shaft 30, all of these shafts being adapted to bearings mounted upon beams 31, suitably suspended from the beams 2. On the shaft 30 is a disk 32, having a crank-pin 33, to which is connected one end of a rod 34, the other end of said rod being connected to an arm on one of the trunnions of the cylindrical block 21, which carries the poker, so that as said shaft 30 is rotated a rocking movement will be imparted to said block. On the shaft 27 is a like disk 36, which has a crankpin 37, connected by a link 38 to an arm 39, which is hung at one end to a bracket on a cross-bar 40, connecting the beams 2, the opposite end of said arm being forked and connected by links 41 to a sleeve 42, which is vertically confined to the casing of the poker 8. Hence rotation of the shaft 27 will cause a reciprocating movement to be imparted to the said poker 8. On the shaft 24is a bevelwheel 43, which meshes with a bevel-pinion 44 on a shaft 45, which has a bevel-pinion 46, meshing with a bevel-wheel 47 on a vertical shaft 48, which has a spur-pinion 49, meshing with an annular rack 50 on the lower sec tion 7 of the producer-body, so as to effect rotation of the latter, the lower end of the shaft 48 having a bevel-.wheel 51, which meshes with a bevel-pinion 52 on the upper end of the shaft of the ash-conveyer screw 17.

It will be observed that both the revoluble section of the producer-body and the reciprocating and vibrating poker 8 are operated from a common shaft 24, so that any increase or decrease in the speed of rotation of the producer-body will eifect a like increase or decrease in the speed of operation of the poker.

In connection with the mechanically-operated poker 8 it may be desirable to use a supplementary poker, such as shown, for instance, at 53 in Fig. 1, this poker being similar to the poker 8 as regards construction, mounting, and cooling, but having one of the trunnions of the block 21 provided with a counterbalanced arm 54, whereby the poker may be vibrated by hand when desired, the other trunnion having a spur-wheel 55 meshing with a pinion 56 on a shaft above the trunnion, which shaft has a worm-wheel 5'7, meshing with a worm 58, the worm-wheel being loose on the shaft, but the latter having a clutch whereby said worm-wheel may be secured to the shaft when desired, so that the vibration of the poker may be effected directly by manipulation of the arm 54, or indirectly by means of the gearing described when a greater-amount of power is required to remove the same. Normally, however, this poker will not be vibrated, but will. occupy a vertical position, so as to operate close to the surface of the wall or lining of the lower section of the producer and thereby prevent the IIO formation of adhering masses of clinker upon said wall or lining.

While I prefer the construction of producers shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3,-said pro ducer may be materially modified and still retain essential features of my invention. For instance, in Fig. 4 I have shown a modified construction in which the producer-body is poker 8, which may be mounted upon it so as to be capable of radially-swinging movement or of both radial swinging movement and vertical reciprocating movement, as be- 7 fore described.

In a producer constructed in accordance with my invention a large body of green or unignitible fuel is maintained above the hot zone, and this acts as a screen or soot-catcher and prevents, or in a very large measure lessens, the escape of soot from the producer, the soot being held for a sufficient length of time to be converted into gas.

Having thus described my invention, I

claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A gas-producer having a casing horizontally divided at or near the top of the hot zone, one portion of the casing being revoluble, substantially as specified.

2. A gas-producer having a casing and a poker-supporting structure above the same, one of said portions being revoluble and said casing and poker-supporting structure being constructed so as to form a seal, substantially as specified.

3. A gas-producer having a casin g horizontally divided at or near the top of the hot zone, the sections of the casing being constructed so as to form a seal between the two, substantially as specified.

4. A gas-producer having a revoluble ashhopper, and a water-seal pit into which the lower portion of said hopper projects, substantially as specified.

5. A gas-producer consisting of upper and lower independent sections, one of which is revoluble, the lower section being expanded laterally in respect to the upper section, and a structure extending from one section-of the casing to the other and carrying one or more pokers, substantially as specified.

6. A gas-producer having upper and lower sections, one of which is revoluble, the lower section being laterally expanded, a structure extending from one of the said sections to the other, and having a portion extending into a seal on the lower section, and one or more pokers mounted upon said connecting structure so as to be outside of the upper section, and inside of the lower section of the producer, substantially as specified.

7. A gas-producer in which are combined a producer body with a structure mounted above the same, oneof said parts being revoluble, and apoker mounted on said superstructure so as to be free to swing in a radial plane, said poker projecting down into the producer-body, substantially as specified.

8. A gas-producer having a body in which are combined a producer with a structure mounted above the same, one of said parts being revoluble in respect to the other, a block mounted on said superstructure so as to be free to swing in a radial plane, and a poker free to slide back and forth through said block, said poker projecting down into the prod ucer-body, substantially as specified.

9. A gas-producer in which are combined an upper fixed section, a lower section laterally expanded in respect to said upper section, means for mounting said lower section so that it can rotate, a structure extending from one section of the casing to the other, and one or more pokers mounted upon said connecting structure, and extending down into the lower section of the producer-body, substantially as specified.

10. A gas-producer having a casing divided horizontally, one portion being revoluble in respect to the other, and pokers-mounted upon the upper portion of the casing and projecting down into the lower portion of the same, whereby said pokers are, by the rotative movement of the casing, caused to agitate and break up the mass into which they project, substantially as specified.

11. A gas-producer having a casing divided horizontally, and having one part revoluble in respect to the other, said parts of the cas- IOO ing being constructed to form a water-seal chamber, substantially as specified.

12. The combination of a gas-producer having a revoluble body portion, a movable poker mounted so as to project into said revoluble body portion of the producer, and mechanism having a common driving-shaft and serving to operate the poker and rotate the revoluble body portion of the producer, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

" WM. B. HUGHES.

Witnesses: v

J os. H. KLEIN, FRANK E. BEOHTOLD. 

